COMMENT | Stop being in denial, only accept the best
COMMENT | After 63 years of pretending to be a multicultural nation, most of us live a life of denial. Few non-Malays have Malay friends, and vice-versa, but our politicians hold open houses during festivals, and proudly claim that we are a well-integrated nation.
The politicians are wrong. It's not about racial harmony because Malaysians just want a free makan and to recoup a little of their taxes.
Six decades after Merdeka, we are still not united. Our Malay leaders think in terms of "Malay first, minorities second" and squander our riches.
Singapore, with no natural resources, is now a world leader. Some people will argue that Singapore's success is because it is small and easier to manage. These cynics fail to explain how the People's Republic of China (PRC) managed to achieve massive social and economic reconstruction within a few decades.
Today, we are still scrabbling around in the kampung dirt, content with life under a tempurung.
The PRC has just landed a probe on the moon to collect lunar rocks, dust, and gather data. Our recollection of the Malaysian space venture was the roti canai tossing experiment, which the Russians thankfully banned. The flying greasy dough could have landed on sensitive equipment and sent the cosmonauts hurtling towards Uranus...
COMMENT | After 63 years of pretending to be a multicultural nation, most of us live a life of denial. Few non-Malays have Malay friends, and vice-versa, but our politicians hold open houses during festivals, and proudly claim that we are a well-integrated nation.
The politicians are wrong. It's not about racial harmony because Malaysians just want a free makan and to recoup a little of their taxes.
Six decades after Merdeka, we are still not united. Our Malay leaders think in terms of "Malay first, minorities second" and squander our riches.
Singapore, with no natural resources, is now a world leader. Some people will argue that Singapore's success is because it is small and easier to manage. These cynics fail to explain how the People's Republic of China (PRC) managed to achieve massive social and economic reconstruction within a few decades.
Today, we are still scrabbling around in the kampung dirt, content with life under a tempurung.
The PRC has just landed a probe on the moon to collect lunar rocks, dust, and gather data. Our recollection of the Malaysian space venture was the roti canai tossing experiment, which the Russians thankfully banned. The flying greasy dough could have landed on sensitive equipment and sent the cosmonauts hurtling towards Uranus.
Perikatan Nasional's majority-Malay cabinet with its lack of diversity has no shame in advancing Malay interests and ignoring minorities. Some of them claim to be the master race but fail to criticise corruption, injustice, and crime.
Many non-Malays who excel can never head a government department. They have to be content with the second position. Why should any Malaysian accept this?
We are denying our best people, especially those who are non-Malays and non-Muslims, the chance to lead in politics, in the economy, in the armed forces, in civil service, in academia, in GLCs, and in the community.
Some of the deserving ones are denied scholarships and top jobs. Foreign countries snap up these individuals, or they emigrate and make their adopted country proud. Why do we mistreat our high-achieving non-Malays?
Don't blame our weak opposition, because 63 years of conditioning have made them like putty. Before any of them dare to ask probing questions, their brains are programmed to go through a checklist, much like the pre-flight checklist that pilots make before take-off.
Opposition politicians may have come up with the best policy, but their automated checklist kicks in and they ask; will it offend the Malays, will it be anti-Islam, and of increasing dominance lately, will it displease royalty?
The three Rs hang like millstones around the necks of the opposition politicians. On the other hand, the ruling party simply uses these three Rs to spearhead their actions and also as a threat, to punish opposition politicians.
If our opposition is handicapped, then let's get the ball rolling with some probing questions for our leaders.
The wealth gap between poor Malays and the uber-rich Malays is much wider than in other communities. Malays with minimal schooling can gain important positions and be paid handsomely. Are the uber-rich Malays smarter, more industrious, or are they better politically connected?
When Muhyiddin Yassin was our education minister, he said Malaysia had the best education in the world. The children of wealthy Malays receive government scholarships, and each place that is taken will reduce the number of university places for the best non-Malay students.
Increasing numbers of Malay parents send their children to vernacular schools, international schools, or educate their children at home. Why?
The Malays are told they are lazy and need to work harder. Nevertheless, they are given more handouts. Affirmative action policies are supposed to help the poor Malays. Muhyiddin's Budget 2021 is very pro-Malay. Each year, more handouts are given to the Malays, but the number of poor Malays increases without respite. Why?
Malay nationalists warn us that the DAP and the Chinese will take over the country and make it Christian. Non-halal products like alcohol will soon be banned from sale in small shops. The Oktoberfest, Valentine's day, and accidents caused by 'drunk drivers' are used to justify the ban on the sale of alcohol.
Nationalists do not condemn the PRC's big business investment and purchase of properties in Malaysia. Local Chinese are the mainstay of our small and medium-sized industries and provide jobs for many Malays. Why do we treat our own home-grown Chinese with such animosity?
Some Malays are abandoning their own culture, forms of speech, and fashion to become pseudo-Arabs. After 63 years and billions of ringgit pumped into the Islamic Development Department (Jakim), some Muslims in Malaysia fear the sign of the cross, pictures of pigs, dogs, carol singing, sharing cutlery with non-Muslims, and speaking English.
Why can't Jakim work the same magic on Malay leaders and stop them from stealing the taxpayers' money?
If we do our best, we can rise to the top in whatever field we choose. If our leaders bring out the best in all of us, we can become a leading nation and change the world.
Malaysia cannot afford another generation of weak leaders. Successive Malay leaders have failed us.
When will the majority of Malaysians stop being in denial, and allow a non-Malay leader, with our interests at heart, to lead us?
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
